对第二语言习得中“年龄小优势论”的辩证分析

A Dialectical Analysis of the Argument for the Superiority of Younger Learners in SLA

多数人认为:在第二语言习得过程中,年龄小的人比年龄大的人学得好;儿童比成年人学得好。通过对大量的有关年龄因素如何影响"第二语言习得"(SLA)的资料的辩证分析,肯定了在自然条件下,就语音和语法方面而言,年龄越小,学得越好,但年龄大的人在读写方面的优势以及成年人比儿童能够更快地习得第二语言语法的事实证明了:在"第二语言习得"中,年龄小的人并非总是比年龄大的人学得好,从而论证了"年龄小优势论"具有一定的片面性。

It is generally accepted that younger learners can learn a second language better than older ones; and it is almost axiomatic that children can do better than adults in second language acquisition(SLA). Based on a dialectical analysis of large quantity of evidence about the influence of difference in ages on SLA, the argument that the younger the learner is, the better he can learn the language in terms of pronunciation and grammar under natural conditions is confirmed. However, the facts that older learners have advantage over younger ones in reading and writing and that adults can grasp grammatical knowledge of a second language faster than children prove that younger learners are not always superior to older ones. So, in general, the Argument of the Superiority of Younger Learners in SLA is of onesided view.